Dr. Victoria Fan

UH-Manoa

Losses from Pandemic Risk

Few doubt that major epidemics and pandemics will strike again and few would argue that the world is adequately prepared. Attempts to justify greater investment have mostly been based on estimates of the industrial and macroeconomic losses attributable to influenza pandemics. We have recently extended the loss assessment to include a valuation of the lives lost as a result of the increases in mortality resulting from influenza-pandemic risk. The inclusion of such a valuation increased the estimated loss attributable to modelled pandemic risk several fold.

Victoria Fan is a health economist and an assistant professor at UH Manoa in the Office of Public Health Studies. She earned her doctor and master of science in global health and population from Harvard School of Public Health and bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her work has used impact evaluation and economic evaluation to assess the benefits and costs of health interventions and health risks, including social policy, diabetes prevention, dental sealants, end-of-life care, and pandemic influenza.